Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to tackle illegal access refusals.

No one deserves to be held back or treated unfairly because of their disability. We are determined to tackle barriers and work with disabled people to ensure they have equal access to every opportunity.

The Equality Act 2010 protects everyone against discrimination and ensures disabled people have the right to be treated equally. Further, The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to refuse entry to a disabled person with an assistance dog (with very few exceptions). Access refusals are nearly always against the law.

Where individuals are concerned they have been a victim of discrimination, the Equality Advisory and Support Service is there to provide information and advice and it is important that both the government and businesses address the issue to ensure that assistance dog users feel welcome in society.